RomanitaSantoso's favourite things are dancing and making
music. For some years she studied piano at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague
(Netherlands), Javanese and Sundanese dance at the Indonesian Embassy for the
Netherlands and Balinese dance at the Balinese dancing school Diah Tantri.
Romanita was born in Rome (Italy) and her first name combines the name of
Italy's capital city Rome with the Indonesian word 'wanita', which means
'woman'. Both her parents are Javanese Indonesians.

In 1983 Romanita
married to Henry Breton van Groll, and in 1987 their son Aryo (Raharyo Maria
Gabriël Adriadi) was born. Aryo has taken a great pleasure in singing in a boys
choir (Haags Matrozenkoor) with a classical western repertory.

Romanita Santoso
studied Indonesian dance in Javanese (Surakarta, Central Java), Sundanese (West
Java), Balinese and some other regional dance styles. She especially refined her
technique in the Javanese classical dance Surakarta-style under the inspiring
guidance of Raden Ayu Widowati Siti Wahyuni Singgih Wibisono. A highlight in her
dancing career was her visit to the Yayasan Pawiyatan Kabudayaan Karaton
Surakarta (Foundation for Cultural Education) and its chairman Her Highness
Gusti Raden Ayu Koes Moertiyah, daughter of the reigning monarch His Royal
Highness Sri Paduko Susuhunan Paku Buwono XII of the Kraton Surakarta
Hadiningrat.

There Romanita's request to get
private dancing lessons at the Kraton Surakarta Hadiningrat in the kraton's
court dance style was granted. It is no wonder that the Surakarta court dance
style has a special place in her heart. The lessons and the philosophic and
sacred atmosphere at the Surakarta court have given her so much more love,
regards and motivation to promote the Surakarta court dance
style.

Her teacher for Indonesian dance Sundanese
style is dra. Irawati Durban Ardjo, teacher of the dance academy of
Bandung and artistic leader of The Pusbitari Dance Company. The way dra.
Irawati Durban Ardjo taught Romanita has had an important influence and
enrichment to her knowledge of the Sundanese dance style and its
backgrounds. Dra. Irawati Durban Ardjo's philosophy of Sundanese dance as
a performing art is very inspiring and
demanding.